The American Suntanning Association is staying ahead of attempts to over-regulate professional indoor tanning facilities at the state and federal level in 2023.
Efforts to keep under-21-year-old clients from using sunbeds in professional salons have been introduced in New York state, with anti-sun groups in California looking at the same. An under-18 bill in Ohio has been reintroduced once again as well, while other states continue to look at finding ways to restrict access to professional salons.
ASA has worked to stop any of that from moving, with victories in the book or paths to victory still in play in all of our efforts this year.
And, more than ever, ASA’s promotion and defense of the market with policymakers is founded in constructive dialogue that positions tanning professionals as part of the solution in real-world sun care.
ASA came out on the winning side in all 11 state legislative issues raised in 2022 without a defeat, using science to convince legislators that our approach to sunburn prevention and parental consent for tanners is the best way to address sun care issues. In the past two years, ASA is 25-0 in state capital issues.
Many of these issues involved proposed under-18 or even under-21 age restrictions for usage of a professional sunbed facility. In many cases, ASA convinced would-be bill sponsors not to even introduce bills after seeing the science that does not support that approach. Some of our victories involved tax bills and other issues.
“We have blazed a common approach of putting real-world sun care in constructive, scientifically supported terms,” says ASA Executive Director & Director of Scientific Affairs Joseph Levy. Since 2015, ASA has convinced state legislatures 120 times that our positions make sense – continuing to win when we have the opportunity to lay out the unintended consequences of anti-sun legislation.
“We can demonstrate that our position is scientifically solid,” stated Levy, who has now traveled to 43 different state capitals on behalf of ASA and ASA partners.
Levy has met with state officials and legislators nationwide again this year, with meetings in California, Ohio, New York and New Jersey already leading to positive results.
“The best way to keep legislation from getting any traction is to re-dedicate your tanning business to professional practices, sunburn prevention and to be worthy of the path that is being blazed for the tanning market of tomorrow,” Levy added. “And get involved with ASA. We need your support.”
